I won't break down every franchise's draft because that would take too long and frankly I (and probably you readers) don't care about most of these teams anyway.
Let me start by saying the draft was a little disappointing for me. Lebron proved to be the elephant in the room the entire night and cast a huge shadow over the draft. A lot of the trading that happened was late in the first round and no one moved into the top picks to grab a lottery talent, as we see many years.
That being said, let's take a look at some of the winners and losers in the 2010 NBA draft.
LOSERS -
Cleveland Cavaliers No picks
Grade = D-
I would give it an F but it is hard to give an F to a team that didn't make a pick. I will do the next best thing and give them a D-. Their first round pick was a part of the trade to bring in Jamison. Heading into the playoffs I don't think Cleveland was sweating it, but now with the possibility of Lebron leaving looking more and more like reality I think many Cleveland fans might rather have had that pick and the cap flexibility of not having Jamison who never hit his stride with the Cavs. Late 1st talent isn't great, but maybe they could have found a gem.
Golden State Warriors (#6 Ekpe Udoh)
Grade = F
What the hell is wrong with this organization?! They already have 2 or 3 guys who are just like Ekpe Udoh (and younger!) yet they waste a 6th overall pick on him. Udoh is a nice, lanky athletic defensive presence with a very unpolished offensive game. With good talent still left on the board, (Greg Monroe, Ed Davis, Gordon Hayward, Aminu etc.) I think they could have done better. It's not like they play any D anyway! This organization continues to be in disarray. Poor Steph Curry.
New York Knicks (#38 Andy Rautins, #39 Landry Fields)
Grade = D
No surprise to see the Knicks on this list. They had better hope that they can land one of these top-tier free agents or this team is in some serious trouble, and their fan base will not be happy. David Stern continues to deny that having the Knicks be successful is critical to the success in the NBA but I disagree. He essentially has two of the worst franchises in his two biggest media markets (Clippers and Knicks). Luckily the Lakers are there to save the LA market.
Rautins is a good shooter but seems a bit redundant to a few guys already on the roster. Then again, D'Antoni loves himself some shooters. Fields on the other hand makes NO SENSE. I saw this guy play in person for Stanford when I was living in Phoenix, and I can tell you I would have bet my house that he would not be drafted. Awful. No one on the board at that point was top talent obviously, but certainly better than Fields.
Memphis Grizzlies (#12 Xavier Henry, #28 Greivis Vasquez)
Grade: D+
The Grizz added some nice talent, but I think this puts their guard total at like 15. Is the new plan to go with 4 guys about 6'4" and Hasheem Thabeet? That should work out well. If they're expecting Henry to fill the void at the 3 left by Gay I think they're mistaken. Henry is a bit undersized at that spot, and while he can definitely shoot, some scouts question his ability to really be productive at the next level.
While I love me some Greivis Vasquez I'm not sure that he'll be a good NBA player, and certainly not one that the Grizzlies need. By my count they now have 8 guards on the roster. A bit much.
WINNERS -
Oklahoma City Thunder (#11 Cole Aldrich, #31 Tibor Pleiss, #48 Latavious Williams, #57 Ryan Reid)
Grade: A-
I think most would agree that OKC needed some inside presence. Nenad Krstic was not cutting it, and a legit center could have been the difference in that Lakers series.
I don't think Aldrich is the second coming of Bill Walton or even Bill Lambier for that matter. But I think he is a lot more Joel Pryzbilla than Bryant Reeves. And the Vanilla Gorilla has been more than serviceable in Portland.
In the 2nd round they got Tibor Pleiss from Germany, a lanky 7 footer who many scouts love and Letavious Williams, the first ever D-League draftee, as well as Ryan Reid from Florida State who probably won't make the squad.
The Thunder also got a future 1st rounder from the Clippers via Miami and got the Heat to suck up Mo Pete's awful contract. Job well done!
San Antonio Spurs (#20 James Anderson, #49 Ryan Richards)
Grade: A-
There is no secret why the Spurs are one of the most successful organizations in the league, year in and year out. They do an excellent job of evaluating talent, and are extremely well run. This year's draft was no different. They took James Anderson out of Oklahoma State, a dynamic wing scorer who should be able to step in nicely and add some much needed scoring off the bench for the Spurs. He's not as athletic as Richard Jefferson but plays a similar slashing style and is a great shooter. When writing his pre-draft eval I actually envisioned him thriving on a team like the Spurs (or Celtics, who passed on him to take Avery Bradley).
They also nabbed Ryan Richards the 7 ft Center from London who impressed in pre-draft workouts. He is expected to be stashed in the D-League where he can get his feet wet against better talent.
Sacramento Kings (#5 Demarcus Cousins, #33 Hassan Whiteside)
Grade: A +
The Kings grabbed arguably the best talent in the draft. Sure, John Wall was a lock at #1 and Evan Turner could be the most NBA ready player in the whole class, but many scouts feel that DeMarcus Cousins, who they grabbed at #5 could end up having the most productive career. He can score in ways that someone with his size normally can't do, and is tough on the boards and on D...when his head his right, and that is the problem with Cousins. Obviously, Sacramento believes he can improve his maturity and become the face of their franchise along with Tyreke Evans, 2009-10's ROY.
In the 2nd round they grabbed Hassan Whiteside out of Marshall, who some have likened to Marcus Camby. An upside selection, as the number 4 rated center in a league that loves big men Whiteside could be quite a steal.
Chicago Bulls (#17 Kevin Seraphin - traded to Washington pending completion)
Grade: A++
The Bulls actual pick isn't what warrants them the grade, as Kevin Seraphin might be as soft as a croissant for all I know. What earns the grade is the fact that they can now afford to sign to max contract players and they haven't had to gut the core of their team, Rose, Deng and Noah. Clearly, Chicago are the front runners for the Lebron sweepstakes. The only question that remains is does Lebron really want to play in that ever-looming shadow of His Royal Airness. I'm not so sure he does, but either way the Bulls are in great position. Lebron, Bosh, Rose, Deng and Noah?...ship it mother fucker. Pencil that squad in for the finals for the next 3-4 years!
Los Angeles Lakers (#43 Devin Ebanks, #58 Derrick Caracter)
Grade: A
As much as I hate to say it, the Lakers had a great draft, especially since they only had two 2nd round picks to work with. They added great talent in Caracter and Ebanks. I thought Ebanks slipped way too far, and even though Chad Ford said it first I have to agree that he reminds me of Trevor Ariza who I thought was a great piece on that 2009 title team. Caracter was one of the most talented players in the country not too long ago and seems to have put some of those maturity and off-court issues behind him. He had a great season at UTEP off the radar last season.
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